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Nazarian said the previous owners, Elliot Lake Retirement Living, deliberately played down problems that had beset the mall since it was built in 1980 — even after he explicitly asked about any defects.

“They said the mall is in sound situation — there’s nothing wrong with it,” Nazarian said.

“I have not been told that there are millions of dollars of expense to be spent.”

The mall looked sound, the deal was a “steal,” and he relied on a pre-mortgage bank inspection as to its good repair.

Handout / The Canadian PressSevere rusting like that seen in a "marine environment" is seen on the steel support structure following the collapse of the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake.

Instead, he said, he discovered the major problems after the purchase and spent “substantial amounts” trying to repair the roof.

“We were going down rapidly. We were knocking every door to try to bring this mall to good shape.”

Nazarian said he wanted to sue Retirement Living — a prominent organization in Elliot Lake — but his lawyer advised against it because it would essentially have meant taking on the entire town.

But if Nazarian, of Richmond Hill, Ont., who turned 68 Tuesday, repeatedly made a case for how he had been victimized, he was far less clear about his finances.

Nathan Denette / THE CANADIAN PRESSRescue workers remove their hard hats as firefighters carry a second body out of the collapsed section of Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ont., four days after the collapse on June 23, 2012 killed two people.

For example, commission counsel Peter Doody produced various financial documents suggesting Nazarian had made around $10 million in profits before the mall’s purchase.

He also showed statements Nazarian signed showing his net worth at $2.5 million in 2008.

“You could have used this money to pay to fix the roof,” Doody said.

“What happened to the money?”

“That’s a good question,” Nazarian responded.

I’m not an accountant and I cannot give you an accurate answer. It’s a sloppy job, I agree

Nazarian frequently could not recall particular financial details. Nor could he explain why he didn’t report $490,000 he was paid in management fees on his taxes.

He blamed his accountant for producing four different financial statements for the 2009 fiscal year showing income for his company ranging from a net loss of $209,000 to a profit of $418,592.

“I’m not an accountant and I cannot give you an accurate answer,” Nazarian said.

“It’s a sloppy job, I agree.”

Nazarian immigrated from Iran in 1971 where he had been a machinist.

He began buying and selling apartments in Montreal where he lived for 15 years before moving to southern Ontario, where he started dabbling in shopping centres.

His investments were successful until he bought the Algo Centre Mall, he said.

Nazarian did admit to asking a structural engineer to alter his inspection report just before the mall collapsed in June 2012.

He said he wanted to make the facility “more appealing” as he sought refinancing.

However, he said the alterations were only a request, and it was up to the engineer, Bob Wood, to agree and make them in the final report.

ELLIOT LAKE, Ont. — An engineer had long known about severe rusting of steel beams at a mall in northern Ontario when he signed off on a report declaring the structure sound less than two months before it collapsed, a judicial inquiry heard Thursday.

Testifying at the probe into last year’s tragedy, Gregory Saunders said his engineering partner, Robert (Bob) Wood, prepared the inspection report, and he signed it after a short discussion on May 3, 2012.

“We would consider the members still structurally sound,” the report stated.

“It is our opinion that the observed rusting at this time has not detrimentally changed the load-carrying capacities of the structure, and no visual signs of structural distress were observed.”

Seven weeks later, on June 23, 2012, part of the roof-top parking garage at the Algo Centre Mall caved in. Two women were killed and several others were hurt.

The judicial inquiry under Commissioner Paul Belanger has already heard how the steel support structure — corroded by years of water and salt penetration — finally gave way.

Saunders, who never visited the mall, had seen reports dating as far back as 2005 that noted leaks and severe rusting.

He admitted taking no action on the reports, but could not explain why they failed to raise any red flags.

Saunders also said he had forgotten them when Wood asked him to sign the final inspection document in May 2012.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/HOSevere rusting like that seen in a "marine environment" is seen on the steel support structure following the collapse of the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ont., on Saturday, June 23, 2012

Wood did not mention the long-standing leakage, or a 2009 city order for an extensive inspection of the mall, when he presented the final report for his signature, Saunders said.

“Apparently he checked the worst spots, as far as I know,” Saunders said.

His inspection came after the city ordered the mall to remedy various deficiencies. The order noted, among other things, “excessive rust” on structural beams.

The city told the mall to engage a structural engineer to assess the building.

“Why didn’t you do what you were supposed to do?” Carr-Harris asked.

“I did what I thought I was expected to do,” Wood responded.

“I have over 40 years of looking at rusted steel and I did not see anything that gave me any concern.”

Edwin Nichols, a town resident, said he was saddened by the evidence.

“People don’t have a heart,” Nichols said. “They don’t care what they do as long as they get paid.”

The inquiry also heard how Saunders and Wood, who were partners in M.R. Wright based out of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., were both found guilty of professional misconduct in 2010 for their work on an unrelated bridge project.

Wood ended up losing his professional engineering licence after failing to write remedial exams, but Saunders successfully completed his exam work.

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/engineer-said-elliott-lake-mall-was-structurally-sound-despite-knowledge-of-rusted-beams-inquiry-hears/feed2stdThe remains of the Algo Centre Mall are seen in Elliot Lake, Ont., on Monday, March 4, 2013, the start of a public inquiry into the deadly collapse of the mall in June 2012.THE CANADIAN PRESS/HOColin Perkel / CP Safety charges laid against engineer in deadly Elliot Lake mall collapsehttp://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/safety-charges-laid-against-engineer-in-deadly-elliot-lake-mall-collapse
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/safety-charges-laid-against-engineer-in-deadly-elliot-lake-mall-collapse#commentsTue, 23 Apr 2013 00:38:55 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=297420

TORONTO — A professional engineer faces charges under health and safety laws in connection with last summer’s deadly mall collapse in northern Ontario.

The province’s Ministry of Labour alleges the engineer endangered a worker by providing negligent advice.

The charge also relates to working in a manner that may endanger a worker.

The ministry refused to name the individual or provide any further information.

Maximum penalties on conviction are a fine of up to $25,000 and/or up to 12 months imprisonment.

The accused is scheduled to appear May 16 in Elliot Lake, the town where the mall collapse took place.

ELLIOT LAKE, Ont. — A frustrated commission probing the deadly collapse of a mall’s roof-top garage in northern Ontario is poised to take the owner to court for failing to turn over thousands of documents, The Canadian Press has learned.

At issue are emails to or from Bob Nazarian which the commission believes are directly related to the Algo Centre Mall.

As a required prelude to court action, Commissioner Paul Belanger has already formally ordered Nazarian to comply with several summonses to turn over the material.

Nazarian is a key figure in light of allegations — strenuously denied — that he failed to carry out proper maintenance, which might have averted last June’s tragedy that killed two women.

Belanger’s order, issued last month but which has had no response to date, also applies to Nazarian’s wife Irene and son Levon.

The legal battle, which commission counsel refuse to discuss publicly, has seen a series of futile attempts — dating to September — for production of the documents.

“Email and webmail accounts had been used to conduct matters relating to the Algo Centre Mall by Robert, Levon and Irene Nazarian,” Belanger’s order states.

“No emails from these accounts had been produced.”

Colin Perkel / CP Dale Craig, a professional engineer, testifies on building design and construction at the collapsed-mall inquiry in Elliot Lake, Ont., on Tuesday, March 5, 2013.

At one point, the family’s lawyers claimed provincial police had seized the material as part of a criminal probe into the mall’s collapse.

Other requests were met with promises of producing the materials right away, or simply weren’t acknowledged at all.

Sources said the emails in question were on American servers and provincial police had not found them.

Nazarian could not be reached at home Tuesday, but when asked about possible legal action to force production of the documents, one of his lawyers insisted they were working diligently to gather and screen the requested material.

“It’s not an attempt to bury documents or hold anything back,” lawyer Michael Title said from Toronto.

The summonses involve about 40,000 emails, some of which Title called “private and utterly irrelevant.”

Captured by the commission’s requests were also Levon Nazarian’s emails.

“There was some resistance to the intrusiveness of this,” Title said.

“(Levon Nazarian) was not terribly happy with the request (and) it took some prodding to have him comply.”

Hearings into the tragedy began this week and are proceeding chronologically, starting with the design and construction of the mall.

Nazarian is expected to testify in about four or five weeks time and the commission was hoping to have the emails in hand long before then.

Title said they would comply with Belanger’s order but did not say when.

“It’s a large task to screen the relevant from the irrelevant,” he said. “We only have 4,000 emails left.”

Still, sources familiar with the situation said the commission was fed up with the delays and would be looking to Ontario’s Divisional Court to force compliance.

“The hammer is about to come down,” one source said.

On June 23, 2012, part of the mall’s roof-top parking deck, which had serious water-penetration issues since it was built in 1982, collapsed into the stores below.

Investigators believe that a weld between a steel I-beam and an upright column failed because of years of rust and salt corrosion.

One issue for the inquiry is why numerous inspections apparently failed to pick up on just how serious the problem was.

On Tuesday, the inquiry heard from Dale Craig, a professional engineer, who provided an overview of putting up a large building, from design to completion.

“Maintenance is often ignored until problems occur,” he said. “Out of sight, out of mind.”

A structural engineer involved with the building of the mall and who apparently lost his licence over problems with several other building projects, is slated to testify on Wednesday.

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/elliot-lake-mall-collapse-commission-poised-to-take-court-action-against-owner-sources/feed2stdThe remains of the Algo Centre Mall are seen in Elliot Lake, Ont., on Monday, March 4, 2013, the start of a public inquiry into the deadly collapse of the mall in June 2012.Colin Perkel / CP Deadly Elliot Lake mall collapse was a failure of the 'engineering profession of Ontario,' Inquiry hearshttp://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/elliot-lake-inquiry-will-focus-on-finding-reason-for-mall-collapse-not-handing-out-blame-commissioner
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/elliot-lake-inquiry-will-focus-on-finding-reason-for-mall-collapse-not-handing-out-blame-commissioner#commentsMon, 04 Mar 2013 20:21:53 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=276128

ELLIOT LAKE, Ont. — Many people had the opportunity to prevent the deadly collapse of a mall in northern Ontario last summer but failed to do so, the inquiry into the disaster heard Monday.

In his opening comments as the hearing kicked off, lawyer Doug Elliott said there were several causes for the collapse but the tragedy should never have occurred.

“A shopping centre mall should not just fall down,” said Elliott, who represents local citizens.

“We thought someone would do something before it was too late.”

Colin Perkel / CP The public inquiry into last June’s deadly collapse of the mall in Elliot Lake, Ont., began today with an outline of the process and the filing of exhibits.

The judicial inquiry under Commissioner Paul Belanger formally began hearings Monday into the collapse of the Algo Centre Mall last June 23.

The probe will also be looking at whether the emergency response to the disaster was adequate.

Two women — Lucie Aylwin, 37, and Doloris Perizzolo, 74 — were killed when part of the roof-top garage caved in at the mall, which was a critical hub for the one-time uranium boom town of about 13,000.

Nathan Denette / The Canadian Press filesRescue workers remove their hard hats as firefighters carry a second body out of the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ont., on Wednesday, June 27, 2012.

“It was the heartbeat of the community,” said Roland Aube, a longtime town lawyer and Elliott’s co-counsel.

The roof-deck collapse and deaths of Aylwin and Perizzolo, Aube said, was “a serious blow to the citizens of Elliot Lake and one many believe could have been prevented.”

As relatives of the victims and a few members of the community looked on, Belanger stressed in his opening statement that the aim of the probe is to find out why the roof-top garage caved in, not to find blame or legal fault.

That didn’t stop Elliott from pointing out the mall had a history of problems no one seemed to address properly. Nor did anyone pick up on the critical structural problems — likely caused by road-salt compounded corrosion — until it was too late.

“This tragedy represents a failure of the engineering profession of Ontario,” Elliott said.

In fact, Elliott said, many people had the opportunity to prevent the tragedy but “failed to do so.”

Kenneth Armstrong / CP filesMourners leave the W.H. Collins Centre in Elliot Lake, Ont., on Monday, July 9, 2012, after attending a public memorial for Lucie Aylwin, who died in the roof collapse at the Algo Centre Mall on June 23, 2012.

The lawyer, also a longtime resident of Elliot Lake, said everyone appeared to miss an obvious solution to the problem: close the garage to traffic.

Instead, he said, a series of Band-Aid solutions was tried, but “none of them ever worked.”

Elliott also said maintenance of the leaky roof declined under the last of the mall’s three sets of owners, Bob Nazarian, who has insisted he was blameless.

He also criticized the “long delay” on coming up with an alternative rescue strategy when the initial approach was deemed unsafe.

The rescue effort drew widespread criticism when rescuers said they were giving up shortly after announcing they had detected signs of life in the rubble.

Doug Kearns, who represents a local group that owned the mall before Nazarian bought it, expressed concern the inquiry could further traumatize the community if not handled properly.

“I realize that come September, the rest of you will all be gone and we’ll be left here,” Kearns said, looking around the room.

“I hope that you will keep mindful of the fact that Elliot Lake does need to be a better place when you leave.”

For those who continue to experience pain from the events of last June 23, Belanger said a quiet room had been set up on the third floor on the newly renovated office building in which the hearings are being held.

The inquiry is expected to hear from as many as 75 witnesses over the next several months, with the expectation Belanger will deliver his report and recommendations by January 2014.

Kenneth Armstrong / The Canadian PressA mourner arrives with flowers at the W.H. Collins Centre in Elliot Lake, Ont., on Monday, to attend a public memorial for Lucie Aylwin, who died in the roof collapse at the Algo Centre Mall on June 23.

In the minutes following a partial roof collapse at the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake last month, funeral director Jean Pomerleau thought about his mother. And when he heard she was safe, Mr. Pomerleau thought about the cabinet in his office at the mall where he had stored more than 30 urns containing the ashes of recently deceased Elliot Lake residents.

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Two weeks later, he still hasn’t been granted access to the mall, and two clients have been forced to cancel burial ceremonies as a resualt.

“This town has suffered,” said Mr. Pomerleau, who owns Alternative Funeral Services. “Now there’s 30 other families wrapped up in this. It doesn’t seem to stop.”

The funeral office is located on the perimeter of the mall, more than 35 metres from the site of the June 23 collapse. The only entrance into the office is from the parking lot.

Kenneth Armstrong / The Canadian PressMourners leave the W.H. Collins Centre in Elliot Lake, Ont., in July after attending a public memorial for Lucie Aylwin, one of two women who died in the roof collapse at the Algo Centre Mall on June 23.

Kenneth Armstrong / The Canadian PressGary Gendron arrives at the public memorial on Monday for his fiancee, Lucie Aylwin, who died in the roof collapse at the Algo Centre Mall.

HandoutLucie Aylwin was working at a lottery kiosk in the Algo Centre Mall when the roof collapsed. Her body was pulled from the debris on June 27.

When Mr. Pomerleau left his business 45 minutes before the collapse, the ashes of Dan Gauthier’s father were sitting on the desk. Mr. Gauthier had arranged for the ashes to be divided between six urns intended for his siblings and mother.

“It’s been terrible, it happening this way,” Mr. Gauthier said. “I’ve had nightmares that I was going in to get my father out of there. To me, my father’s still alive right now in my mind. I didn’t get any closure.”

The funeral director, who used the office to meet with Elliot Lake clients, said he’s willing to sign any waiver necessary to make a quick entrance into the mall.

His files are also in the office, making it difficult for him to find telephone numbers to call clients with updates.

Elliot Lake Mayor Rick Hamilton has asked the OPP to allow for the ashes to be retrieved from the site, which is now the scene of a criminal investigation. All requests have been denied.

“Until we’re sure that we can enter the mall in a safe manner, it’s not going to happen,” said OPP spokesman Pierre Chamberland, adding that he could not predict when the building will be safe to enter. “I totally understand that the public are anxious to get their personal items back, but our primary concern will always be public safety.”

On Monday, Mr. Pomerleau’s lawyer contacted the office of Premier Dalton McGuinty “to see if the Premier is willing to intervene.”

Nathan Denette / ReutersAn OPP officer walks near the rubble at the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ont., on June 27, the same day rescue workers removed the bodies of Dolores Perizzolo, 74, and Lucie Aylwin, 37.

“It just seems to me to be inhumane to put these families through the worry of not being able to get these human remains back. This isn’t the Zellers trying to get their socks and underwear inventory,” said lawyer Doug Elliott, who is also representing a group of affected residents filing a $30-million class-action lawsuit against the mall’s ownership, the city of Elliot Lake and the provincial government. The lead plaintiffs are Jack and Elaine Quinte, the owners of Hungry Jack’s restaurant, located in the mall.

Mr. Elliott’s plea was passed from the premier’s office to the Ministry of Public Safety and Correctional Services, a ministry spokesman said.

Spokesman Craig MacBride said the ministry will be “working closely” with OPP and the funeral home.

Kenneth Armstrong / The Canadian PressJack and Elaine Quinte, owners of Hungry Jack's restaurant, are the lead plaintiffs in a $30-million class-action lawsuit against the mall’s ownership, the city of Elliot Lake and the provincial government.

“OPP and the coroner’s office will be involved to make sure it is safe to enter, if it is safe to enter,” Mr. MacBride said.

“This is an operational matter and the Premier won’t be saying whether it’s safe or not.”

Mr. McGuinty has called for a public inquiry into the roof collapse that killed Dolores Perizzolo, 74, and Lucie Aylwin, 37.

On Monday, the Ontario Attorney-General appointed Paul Bélanger, a 30-year veteran provincial judge, to head the inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the collapse and the emergency response that followed.

The statement said the judge will report his findings after a year of investigation. Monday’s announcement coincided with a memorial service for Ms. Aylwin at an Elliot Lake reception hall.

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]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/elliot-lake-mall-collapse-creates-more-suffering-as-funeral-directors-customers-unable-to-bury-loved-ones/feed0stdA mourner at the memorial for Elliot Lake mall collapse victim Aylwin.Mourners leave the W.H. Collins Centre in Elliot Lake, Ont., on Monday, after attending a public memorial for Lucie Aylwin, one of two women who died in the roof collapse at the Algo Centre Mall on June 23.Gary Gendron, fiance of Elliot Lake mall collapse victim Lucie AylwinElliot Lake mall collapse victim Lucie AylwinAn OPP officer walks near the rubble at the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot LakeJack and Elaine Quinte of Elliot Lake, Ont.Police launch criminal probe into Elliot Lake mall collapse after uncovering new informationhttp://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/ontario-police-launch-criminal-investigation-into-elliot-lake-mall-roof-collapse
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/ontario-police-launch-criminal-investigation-into-elliot-lake-mall-roof-collapse#commentsTue, 03 Jul 2012 21:03:40 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=190253

ORILLIA, Ont. — New information has led the Ontario Provincial Police to deem their probe of a fatal mall roof collapse in Elliot Lake a criminal investigation.

Two women were killed on June 23 when the roof of the Algo Centre Mall caved in and plummeted two floors down into the building.

The provincial police force was assisting the Ontario Chief Coroner’s office in its investigation into the deaths of Doloris Perizzolo, 70, and Lucie Aylwin, 37, but “as a result of information obtained,” the police said Tuesday they are now also looking into the collapse as a criminal investigation.

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Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced a public inquiry into the mall collapse Friday following public outcry about why search-and-rescue efforts were called off two days after the accident, only to be restarted hours later after an appeal from McGuinty.

Family photoLucie Aylwin, 37, pictured with her fiancee Gary Gendron.

Residents have since complained that the mall was in shabby condition before the cave-in and have questioned the speed at which rescuers tried to reach those trapped in the rubble.

The Ministry of Labour is also conducting an investigation, but has said its probe will not look into the cause of the collapse.

The ministry paid six visits to the mall over the last three years, the latest one being in January when it received a complaint about a leak in the rooftop parking garage.

The inspector went to the site and found it covered in snow, making it difficult to determine the origin of any leaks, a spokesman for Ontario Labour Minister Linda Jeffrey has said. The inspector found no health and safety violations and no orders were issued.

Perizzolo is set to be buried Wednesday at Woodlands Cemetery, located steps away from the waters of Elliot Lake in the western part of the city.

The Canadian Press

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/ontario-police-launch-criminal-investigation-into-elliot-lake-mall-roof-collapse/feed12stdRescue workers remove their hard hats as firefighters carry a second body out of the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ont., on June 27, 2012, after the mall's roof collapsed last Saturday. Provincial police in Ontario have launched a criminal investigation into the fatal mall roof collapse in Elliot Lake.Elliot Lake mall collapse victim Lucie AylwinDalton McGuinty calls for public inquiry into Elliot Lake mall collapsehttp://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/dalton-mcguinty-calls-for-public-inquiry-into-elliot-lake-mall-collapse
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/dalton-mcguinty-calls-for-public-inquiry-into-elliot-lake-mall-collapse#commentsFri, 29 Jun 2012 21:31:46 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=189486

The premier of Ontario will launch an independent public inquiry into the tragic Elliot Lake mall collapse that killed two people.

“I spoke to the families of Doloris Perizzolo and Lucie Aylwin in Elliot Lake on Wednesday and again today by telephone,” Dalton McGuinty said Friday.

“This is a difficult time for these families as they grieve their loved ones.”

The roof of Algo Centre Mall in northeastern Ontario collapsed last Saturday, trapping and killing the two women and injuring more than 20 people.

Elliot Lake residents were outraged after rescue operations stopped Monday, when the building was deemed to dangerous for rescue workers, and have demanded someone be held accountable.

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Residents have also complained about problems with the roof going back years to officials during briefings since the incident.

“These families — and other Ontarians — have raised important questions that deserve to be answered,” Mr. McGuinty said.

“We have an obligation to do whatever we can to prevent similar tragedies and respond in the best way possible when they do happen.”

Details of the inquiry will be released at a later time, he said. The OPP has said it will also conduct an investigation into the deaths of the two victims.

Police, a firefighter and an engineer will be sifting through the wreckage of the collapsed mall to collect information to help the coroner and province’s investigations.

Nathan Denette / The Canadian PressAn OPP officer walks near the rubble after Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty speaks to the community regarding the recovery of two bodies at the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ont.

They say the Ministry of Labour engineer will try to figure out whether there are other structural problems to determine if the building needs to be torn down.

But a spokesman for the ministry says it isn’t looking at the cause of the roof collapse. They say the province looks at the health and safety of workers, while the city is responsible for enforcing the Ontario building codes.

The opposition leaders are also demanding to know what happened and why.

Progressive Conservative Leader Leader Tim Hudak says there was “some kind of screw up” when efforts to rescue any survivors were suspended on Monday after the building was deemed unsafe.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said she wanted a public inquiry to get to the bottom of what led to the disaster.

The coroner’s office said Friday that it had spoken with the families of the victims about the findings of its post mortem examinations.

Further forensic testing still needs to be completed but the coroner has released the bodies to the families for funeral services.

“The office of the chief coroner is continuing its investigation into these tragic deaths with the assistance of the OPP,” the office said in a statement. “At this time, we offer our most sincere condolences to the Aylwin and Perizzolo Families.”

A reporter who tried to file a Freedom of Information request for documents related to the Algo Centre Mall at Elliot Lake City Hall on Friday was told to leave the building immediately.

“Tried to file [a] Freedom of Information request at #Elliot Lake city hall, was told “leave immediately,” Ms. Tryon wrote on Twitter. “I asked why, they called the OPP.”

City clerks felt “somewhat intimidated by the insistent nature of the request being made,” Ontario Provincial Police Constable Marc Despatie told the National Post.

“They decided to call the police and we’re duty-bound to respond.”

Shortly after the incident, the city of Elliot Lake issued a two-line statement that said any documents related to Algo Centre Mall “are now part of ongoing investigations.”

“The City is providing these documents to investigators,” the statement said.

National Post, with files from The Canadian Press

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/dalton-mcguinty-calls-for-public-inquiry-into-elliot-lake-mall-collapse/feed11stdOntario Premier Dalton McGuinty, centre, speaks to the community regarding the rescue and recovery of two bodies at the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ont., on Wednesday, June 27, 2012. During his address to a small crowd of rescue workers and local officials, McGuinty said his thoughts were with the family of the two female victims.An OPP officer walks near the rubble after Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty speaks to the community regarding the recovery of two bodies at the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ont.Elliot Lake city staff call police after reporter tries to request Algo Centre Mall documentshttp://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/elliot-lake-city-staff-call-police-after-reporter-asks-for-algo-centre-mall-documents
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/elliot-lake-city-staff-call-police-after-reporter-asks-for-algo-centre-mall-documents#commentsFri, 29 Jun 2012 18:07:52 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=189404

Experts, police sift through rubble

Police, a firefighter and an engineer will be sifting through the rubble of the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake where two women were crushed to death.

Officials say police and the firefighter will be collecting information to help the coroner and the province in their investigations into the tragedy at the Algo Centre Mall.

They say the Ministry of Labour engineer will try to figure out whether there are other structural problems to determine if the building needs to be torn down.

A reporter who tried to file a Freedom of Information request for documents related to the Algo Centre Mall at Elliot Lake City Hall on Friday was told to leave the building immediately.

When Global News reporter Jennifer Tryon asked why, staff at the city hall in northeast Ontario called the police.

“Tried to file [a] Freedom of Information request at #Elliot Lake city hall, was told “leave immediately,” Ms. Tryon wrote on Twitter. “I asked why, they called the OPP.”

City clerks felt “somewhat intimidated by the insistent nature of the request being made,” Ontario Provincial Police Constable Marc Despatie told the National Post.

“They decided to call the police and we’re duty-bound to respond.”

Shortly after the incident, the city of Elliot Lake issued a two-line statement that said any documents related to Algo Centre Mall “are now part of ongoing investigations.”

“The City is providing these documents to investigators,” the statement said.

Tried to file an Freedom of Information request at #Elliot Lake city hall, was told “leave immediately” I asked why, they called the OPP.

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The roof of the Algo Centre Mall collapsed nearly a week ago, killing two people and injuring 22. The owners of the mall struggled with constant repairs to its rooftop parking lot and had been planning for two years to move it, their lawyer said Tuesday.

The OPP will conduct an investigation into the deaths of the two victims.

Police, a firefighter and an engineer will be sifting through the wreckage of the collapsed mall to collect information to help the coroner and province’s investigations.

REUTERS/Kenneth ArmstrongA man is seen looking at flowers and cards left at the scene of the Algo Mall in Elliot Lake, Ontario June 28, 2012.

They say the Ministry of Labour engineer will try to figure out whether there are other structural problems to determine if the building needs to be torn down.

But a spokesman for the ministry says it isn’t looking at the cause of the roof collapse.

They say the province looks at the health and safety of workers, while the city is responsible for enforcing the Ontario building code

The opposition leaders are also demanding to know what happened and why.

Progressive Conservative Leader Leader Tim Hudak says there was “some kind of screw up” when efforts to rescue any survivors were suspended on Monday after the building was deemed unsafe.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath wants a public inquiry to get to the bottom of what led to the disaster.

Premier Dalton McGuinty has promised that the government will “carefully review” how it responded to the collapse.

Saturday’s cave-in killed Doloris Perizzolo and Lucie Aylwin.

The coroner’s office said Friday that it had spoken with the families of the victims about the findings of its post mortem examinations.

Further forensic testing still needs to be completed but the coroner has released the bodies to the families for funeral services.

“The office of the chief coroner is continuing its investigation into these tragic deaths with the assistance of the OPP,” the office said in a statement. “At this time, we offer our most sincere condolences to the Aylwin and Perizzolo Families.”

National Post, with files from The Canadian Press

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/elliot-lake-city-staff-call-police-after-reporter-asks-for-algo-centre-mall-documents/feed9stdThe media film the rubble at the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ontario. Rescue workers removed two bodies from a collapsed shopping mall in the northern Ontario town of Elliot Lake on Wednesday.Elliot-LakeTwelve still missing as hopes fade in Elliot Lakehttp://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/robotic-arm-dismantles-elliot-lake-mall-facade
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/robotic-arm-dismantles-elliot-lake-mall-facade#commentsWed, 27 Jun 2012 05:50:55 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=188149

As state-of-the-art heavy machinery rolled into Elliot Lake on high hopes it can help in the rescue of an estimated 12 people buried beneath the rubble at Algo Centre Mall, questions continue to swirl about the decision to call off a search just hours after rescuers had detected signs of life amidst the wreckage.

One person is dead and a dozen are still unaccounted for, officials said Tuesday at a news conference tainted by the diminished chance of finding survivors.

“We still cannot determine how many people are there,” Ontario Provincial Police Inspector Percy Jollymore said.

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Rescuers have not detected a sign of life since 4 a.m. Monday near the escalators where two people are believed to be trapped, said Bill Neadles, the commander for Toronto’s Heavy Urban Search and Rescue team.

A prognosis made by the team’s doctor since the search was suspended Monday because of safety concerns said there was likely “a very slim ability for that person to remain alive.”

A specialized crane arrived at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, its giant robotic arm capable of reaching inside the mall and toppling the precariously balanced escalator that has prevented rescuers from going inside.

Residents let out a cheer as the colossal yellow machine, which has a reach of 45 metres and took three trucks to transport from Toronto, rolled up to the mall along a road that has been paved especially for it.

They watched as its massive robotic arm dismantled the facade of the mall. Once the delicate structures within are pushed out of the way, engineers will assess whether the building is stable enough for search dogs and rescue workers to be sent in.

The dangerous rescue mission is part of a new plan ordered late Monday by Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, who said rescuers must “exercise every option, explore every possible avenue” to pull out survivors and those who may have died when a section of the mall’s roof caved in on shoppers at about 2:20 p.m. Saturday.

Just five hours after city officials and rescuers on the ground said they could no longer enter the crumbling mall on Monday, Mr. McGuinty said they must continue combing the area — a decision made as residents in the city of 12,000 decried their mayor and the rescuers for giving up. Angry citizens questioned why local mine rescuers couldn’t pitch in, and individuals vowed to attempt a rescue themselves. Response times came under scrutiny and officials were grilled as to why the heavy machinery could not have been summoned sooner.

“It may have come across that we may have quit and gone home,” but that wasn’t the case, Mr. Neadles said of his rescue efforts, which are under the purview of the province. “We needed to regroup, we needed to get [the media] information, we needed to get the families information before we could release a lot of what was going on … we had not given up.

Chris Young / The Canadian PressA demolition crane dismantles part of the collapsed Algo Centre Mall Tuesday night.

Mr. McGuinty announced the province would pursue the new rescue plan — dismantling the building from the outside in order to more safely enter — first clearing it with local NDP MPP Michael Mantha and Elliot Lake mayor Rick Hamilton. Afterwards, at 10:30 p.m., he called Prime Minister Stephen Harper and got his support, PMO spokesman Andrew MacDougall told the National Post.

“He stands at the ready,” Mr. McGuinty said. “[The federal government is] more than willing to ensure we have access to any military personnel, expertise or equipment.”

While a military liaison officer was en route to Elliot Lake Tuesday, Mr. Neadles said they have not requested military attendance. Thirty-seven HUSAR members and the requisite structural engineers were considered enough to do the job. (Ten OPP Urban Search and Rescue members and two medics are also there, as is a chemical biological radiological nuclear response team, the Ontario government said.)

“Could we have brought in 300 more people? I don’t think we would have made any [more] headway,” Mr. Neadles said.

Once the crane was in place, the massive gesticulating crane arm would park at the front of the building and plunge its 150-foot reach down onto the mall floor and a controlled dismantling of the escalator would take place, Mr. Neadles said.

“It seems like that’s kind of ‘Transformers’ kind of stuff, but that’s what they’re assuring me we can do,” he said.

Chris Young / The Canadian PressRajean Aylwyn, right, the father of Lucie Aylwyn, who is presumed trapped in the wreckage of the Algo Centre Mall, walks by a memorial at an entrance to the Elliot Lake shopping centre on Tuesday.

The front doors will be shorn off and the machine will cut through the building to where the victims are, about 35 to 40 feet from the door, Mr. Neadles said. When engineers declare it safe, rescuers will try to pull them out.

Sniffer dogs designed to search for people, dead or alive, will also be dispatched into the building.

As rescuers pursue their second search for survivors, residents wait and hold out hope.

Friends and family of Lucie Aylwin, who works at the lottery ticket booth by the mall escalators and right below the collapsed portion of the lot, continued to keep vigil Tuesday.

“I know she’s still alive,” her fiancé, Gary Gendron, who has been stationed outside of the mall, told the CBC. “As soon as she gets well we’re going to get married.”

A friend, who did not want her name published, said everyone knows the affable Ms. Aylwin. She said her friend had been covering for a co-worker who had been on break as the ceiling crumbled overhead.

The memories of Saturday’s devastating mall collapse still haunt those who managed to escape.

Brandon Nowecki, 14, was meeting his friends in Algo Centre Saturday when the mall started shaking and the lights went out. Five feet from where he was standing the ceiling crashed and a woman from the dollar store called out to a man standing just below, telling him to run.

Travis and Rebecca Lynn Marie Aubertin for National PostWorkers examine the gaping hole in the Algo Centre Mall's roof in Elliot Lake on Tuesday.

“Then the mall started collapsing and landed on two people below who were running away,” he said.

A silver Escalade and all the accompanying debris from the falling lot came down on top of the old man, Brandon remembers. Next, he and his friend helped people out of the mall to safety.

Dawn Morrisette, a long-time community member, has started a relief fund to raise money for the estimated 300 workers who are now out of a job after the collapse.

The mall started collapsingand landed on two people belowwho were running away

“Now all the major banks in our community are accepting donations to the Elliot Lake relief fund. The money will go to the people who have been affected by this: mall employees who no longer have jobs, who worked mostly retail and minimum wage. That is our primary target. Anyone who has been affected by this disaster, in terms of employment and loss.”

Donations are being accepted at Scotiabank, Royal Bank, Toronto Dominion, CIBC, Bank of Montreal and the Northern Credit Union.

Matt Gurney: Rescues should never be called off until everything has been tried

On Monday, residents of the small town of Elliot Lake, Ont., were stunned when emergency crews working to locate and — it was hoped — rescue missing people trapped below a collapsed shopping mall announced that they were calling off their operation.

“Over the last couple of days, the integrity of the building has deteriorated,” said Bill Needles, a spokesman for the Toronto Police Service’s Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR) team, which had travelled to the northern town to lead the rescue efforts after Saturday’s collapse. “The building is unsafe. Totally unsafe.”

“I’m not happy,” Mr. Needles continued. “Nobody’s happy that we have to stop work. But that’s unfortunately the way we have to end this situation. I’ve turned the scene back over to the local authorities to now go forward.”

Saying that no one was happy proved to be an understatement. Residents of Elliot Lake were outraged and staged several angry confrontations with police. The owners of the mall threatened to seek a court injunction to force rescue efforts to continue until all the missing were located, alive or dead.

ELLIOT LAKE, Ont. — Rescue operations to locate what could be a dozen people people trapped under a collapsed mall in northeastern Ontario have resumed, the province said Tuesday.

Twelve people are still unaccounted for after the collapse, officials said at an afternoon press conference.

The … issue that we’re challenged with is to ascertain really who is trapped underneath the debris,” said Ontario Provincial Police Insp. Percy Jollymore.

“And as we continue, as I said before, we have compiled a list of people calling in and people we’ve … linked to be in and around the mall at the time of the collapse. Last night, the number was in excess of 30. It now stands about 12.”

There have been no new signs of life from beneath the rubble since 4 a.m. on Monday, when an x-ray-like machine detected someone breathing, police said.

Provincial officials have sent more resources for the rescue effort at Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, including a large specialized crane, robots used for mine rescue operations, and a civil and mining engineer.

The province also plans to work with a liaison from the Canadian Forces, although troops have not yet been deployed.

Bill Needles of the Heavy Urban Search and Rescue team said a dangerously unstable escalator that forced crews to turn back yesterday will be deliberately knocked over and will fall away from the two victims trapped in the rubble.

He says rescue teams will then clear a path from the door at the south corner of the mall.

The victims are trapped within 12 metres of that entrance, and Needles’ team will enter the building to retrieve them if structural engineers give the go-ahead.

Officials stressed, however, that the likelihood of finding survivors is increasingly slim.

“Our doctor has indicated to us that the remote chance that there is still someone that has survived based on the information that we supplied him, he was of the opinion that it probably was a very slim ability for that person to remain alive,” Needles said.

At least 30 volunteers, many of whom are former miners, said they are willing to go inside the collapsed shopping centre after the Heavy Urban Search and Rescue unit from Toronto said on Monday they had to call off the search over safety issues.

“We’re not going in there blind and stupid,” said Michael Croke, himself a volunteer.

“We’ll go in there and do the same that they’re doing. We’ll check it out. But we also know the mall. Even though there’s danger overhead, if you’re in the rescue business, you’ve got to expect that kind of danger.”

Catherine Timleck-Shaw said rescuers must remain optimistic if only for the sake of those who may have survived.

“As far as we’re concerned, there’s someone alive in there. And that person has a right to live,” she said.

Elliot Lake resident Gary Gendron said he believes his fiancée Lucie Aylwin, who worked at a lottery kiosk in the mall, is still alive under the rubble because the couple routinely tapped a code to each other to show their love.

Residents promptly voiced loud protests as the search was called off, and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty urged officials to reconsider the decision to abandon at least two people amidst the ruins.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered to send military personnel to help with the rescue efforts.

Chris Young / The Canadian PressLocal residents take names of volunteers to enter the site and attempt a rescue as they react to the news that authorities have called off a rescue bid for any survivors at the site of the collapsed roof of the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ontario, on Monday June 25, 2012 as the site is deemed to dangerous. The search was later resumed.

Rescue crews in Elliot Lake were to begin dismantling the collapsed mall from the outside in order to reach those trapped beneath the rubble, McGuinty said Tuesday morning.

Last night, five hours after rescuers on the ground called off the rescue mission saying it was too dangerous to enter the building, McGuinty asked if there were any other options to continue looking for the as many as 30 missing people who may or may not remain within the building. Dismantling the building from the outside was that second option.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris YoungDebris is removed as rescue workers continue attempts to secure the building before searching for any survivors at the site of the collapsed roof of the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ont., on Monday.

“People need to understand there is real risk associated with this because of the collapsed building and the structural stresses — it is not unlike a house of cards, and if you pull away at this wall in an effort to get access to somebody who’s trapped in there, it may cause other things to move and other things to tumble and crumble,” he told reporters at Queen’s Park.

“But I thought it was important that we exercise every option, explore every possible avenue. And like the people up there and the people here, I’m sure if that was your mom or your daughter or your brother and somebody came to you and said how far can you push I’m sure we’d all say we need to go as far as we possibly can to rescue these individuals.”

He received support from local NDP MPP Michael Mantha and mayor Rick Hamilton. Then he called the Prime Minister, who promised to provide the necessary resources.

“He stands at the ready.”

McGuinty said community members have the support of the entire province.

“They’re not alone. We are 13 million Ontarians strong. They are part of the family,” he said. “They have our prayers, but more than that, they have our active support.”
National Post, with files from The Canadian Press, Sarah Boesveld, Allison Cross and Armina Ligaya

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/elliot-lake-mall-rescue-resumes-19-hours-after-search-was-halted/feed17stdConstruction workers lay a path for heavy machinery to enter the Algo Centre Mall, in Elliot Lake, Ontario on Tuesday June 26, 2012, as rescue workers attempt a new plan to try and reach any possible survivors after the mall's roof collapsed last Saturday.Local residents take names of volunteers to enter the site and attempt a rescue as they react to the news that authorities have called off a rescue bid for any survivors at the site of the collapsed roof of the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ontario, on Monday June 25, 2012 as the site is deemed to dangerous. The search was later resumed. Elliot-Lake-roofElliot Lake survivor search back on after intervention from Ontario premierhttp://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/elliot-lake-mall-collapse
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THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris YoungResidents react to the news that authorities had called off a rescue bid for any survivors at the site of the collapsed roof of the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake Monday. In the evening, Premier Dalton McGuinty urged rescuers to resume their efforts.

Five hours after rescuers called off a search for survivors in a collapsed Elliot Lake shopping mall, leaving families of several missing residents reeling with shock, anger and grief, the premier called on the team to find some way to resume the rescue operation.

Officials were drafting a plan late Monday night to use “more mechanical means” to reach the victims in Algo Centre Mall, at the urging of Premier Dalton McGuinty, said Fire Chief Paul Officer.

National Post GraphicsCLICK TO ENLARGE

Elliot Lake Mayor Rick Hamilton said he had spoken to the premier directly, about the rescue mission to reach at least two victims who are believed to have been trapped since the Saturday afternoon roof collapse.

“He simply said if that was his son or daughter he would like to see every means necessary used to effect the rescue,” he told a 10 p.m. news conference. “Those were his words to me. He also conveyed to me that he was able to continue to provide the assistance required to execute the rescue.”

Just five hours earlier, officials suspended the search, after an engineer determined that the structure was unsafe and a significant portion of the Algo Centre Mall could fall at a anytime, putting rescuers at risk.

Mr. McGuinty said in a statement issued late Monday that he spoke to Emergency Management Ontario and the Heavy Urban Search and Rescue Team, which travelled to Elliot Lake from Toronto, and instructed them to determine if there is any other way possible to reach any victims without endangering rescuers, including the use of equipment to dismantle the building from the exterior.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris YoungResidents react to the news the search had been called off.

“I believe we owe it to the families waiting for word of their loved ones to leave no stone unturned. We owe that to the people of Elliot Lake too.”

Mall owners also were against the decision to call off the search, and began legal action.

Rhonda Bear, the manager of the Algo Centre Mall, said the company’s hopes and prayers were with the family of those affected by the tragedy.

“We heard they are stopping the search. The owners are pleading that they continue the search or allow trained personnel that are still willing to continue,” she told the National Post in an email. “They have lawyers who have begun an injunction against this decision to stop the search.”

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris YoungA rescue worker at the site Monday.

Officials have confirmed that one person had died when a section of the mall’s roof caved in, but signs of life from at least one victim were detected early Monday morning.

“The building is unsafe, totally unsafe… I had to make the decision that it is not safe to put the workers back in there because it could be a devastating collapse,” said Bill Needles, a spokesman from the Heavy Urban Search and Rescue team, on Monday at a 5 p.m. news conference.

The number of those still unaccounted for fluctuated, as people called in to a dedicated line scrambling to find their loved ones.

“We had 39 on the list, we got rid of 34, and we’re back up to 20,” said Ontario Provincial Police Insp. Percy Jollymore. “But we do have two names that are consistent with people normally in the mall at that time, and their vehicles on site … Their names have never disappeared off the list.”

Collège Boréal, which operated an employment centre in the mall, said it had one employee missing after the collapse, but did not release a name.

Many in Elliot Lake, a tight-knit community of about 12,000, denounced the decision to stop the rescue, worried their loved ones remained trapped under rubble without food and water as rescuers stepped back.

One woman believed to be missing was 37-year-old Lucie Aylwin, according to her great uncle Bruno Aylwin.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris YoungDebris is removed as rescue workers continue attempts to secure the building before searching for any survivors at the site of the collapsed roof of the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ont., on Monday.

“We’re still trying to get some news… Apparently she’s stuck under the rubble. They just stopped digging and her father is very disappointed with this. We don’t know if she’s even alive.”

A woman by that name was listed as an employee of Collège Boréal.

Justin Morin-Carpentier, a family friend of Ms. Aylwin, said her family was concerned as she hadn’t been seen since Saturday.

“She’s a very caring person, if you ever needed help, she was ready to help.”

Penny Taylor, who knows a person believed to be trapped but won’t name them out of respect for the family, called the decision to suspend the rescue a “crock of crap.”

She did not want any rescue workers to be hurt, but could not comprehend how they could leave people who may be alive behind.

“I think they should be going in there to look for those people. If they can hear people breathing, tapping, whatever, they should be in there helping these people,” said Ms. Taylor, who works at a family restaurant in the mall, which her sister owns. “I just don’t understand why they’re not in there doing it. It’s just crazy.”

Sarah Ball, who worked at Mum’s Place with Ms. Taylor, and was there when the roof caved in, said she was “devastated” when the search was halted.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Terry RoweThe hole left in the parking lot after it collapsed in on the Algo Centre Mall.

Ms. Ball said when the roof caved in, she heard a deafening “drum roll,” before concrete came crashing down in front of her, as she stood at the counter of the restaurant.

“All the roof tiles, they were all collapsing onto the food court. You could see sunlight coming in and dust everywhere,” she said.

Ms. Ball’s said there were about 30 people in the food court at the time of the collapse. Many seniors, who regular patrons of the mall, could be seen bloodied and bruised, she said.

Officials say at least 22 people were injured after the crash.

One of the people still missing was a young woman who worked at the ticket booth, located below where the roof collapsed, and came into their restaurant for coffee every day, she said.

I’m eight months pregnant, and I want to just listen for the ‘tap tap’ and break that person out. But I’m not an expert…

“They’re saying they’re unable to get in. I’m eight months pregnant, and I want to just listen for the ‘tap tap’ and break that person out. But I’m not an expert…. That’s what most people are feeling. They just want to get in there and get whoever it is out.”

The decision to call off the search was announced at an emotionally charged news conference, where some local residents angrily asked why rescue crews were leaving the site.

“We come from a mining town, where mine rescue never gave on the people. It didn’t matter how bad it was … and you know that, you never left a man underground, ever,” one woman said through tears, addressing Mayor Hamilton. “If there is a possibility that there is one person living, we cannot let them die.”

Mr. Needles told a press conference Monday afternoon that they had tried several routes to access those trapped, but all were unsuccessful. It is now too unstable to get close enough to use special equipment to detect breathing patterns below the slabs of concrete, or even send in a canine unit, he said.

“Our team is certainly not happy, I’m not happy, nobody’s happy that we have to stop work,” Mr. Needles said. “Unfortunately, that is the way that we have had to end this situation.”

Though it may be a hard pill to swallow, rescuers have to put their own safety first, said Don Bindon, the president of the British Columbia Search and Rescue Association who also trains commanders such as the one who halted the Algo Centre rescue.

“It’s difficult for civilians to understand … but as a commander, you cannot allow yourself to get caught up in the desire to do very good things at the serious risk of the people that are doing the work,” he said.

Our team is certainly not happy, I’m not happy, nobody’s happy that we have to stop work

The Heavy Urban Search and Rescue teams are the “highest level of response we have” in Canada, he said. And if a mission is deemed too unsafe, rescuers must pull out to avoid further endangering those trapped.

“If we get more people in there and more people get hurt …we are the people that have to save everybody and we cannot start losing our responders to injury, even, because we need them.”

The Algo Centre Mall was opened in 1980 by Algoma Central Properties.

It was bought by Eastwood Mall Inc. in August 2005 and underwent “major renovations” in 2006, according to information provided by the current owners.

Eastwood Mall Inc. said in 2009 that its “sister company” is the Yorkdale Group, based in Richmond Hill, north of Toronto and that Yorkdale owns properties in Richmond Hill, London, Ont., and in California.

“Development projects include shopping centres, town homes, shopping and office plazas,” the firm said in an online corporate posting that has since been taken down.

The Yorkdale Group has building projects pending north of Toronto, including a rezoning proposal before Richmond Hill’s municipal council to build a condominium development consisting of 50 townhouses and one detached home.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris YoungWell wishers leave candles at a vigil as rescue workers continue attempts to secure the building before searching for any survivors at the site of the collapsed roof of the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ontario on Monday June 25, 2012.

Calls to the Yorkdale Group on Monday went to an answering machine for Re/Max Infinite and Levon Nazarian, the realty firm’s broker of record. A voicemail and emails requesting an interview were not returned Monday evening.

ReMax/Infinite shares a street address with Yorkdale Group, occupying neighbouring suites in a newly built office complex on Yonge Street in Richmond Hill.

The timing of the collapse in Elliot Lake is not good for Mr. Nazarian; Re/Max Infinite was set to host its grand opening on Wednesday.

National Post, with files from Adrian Humphreys, Jake Edmiston, Allison Cross and The Canadian Press

Statement from Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty

Ontarians have been hoping and praying that rescuers could reach any survivors in the rubble of the collapsed Algo Mall in Elliot Lake.

Today, we learned that the remaining structure has de-stabilized further. Authorities on the scene believe it has become extremely difficult to predict whether it may collapse and that further rescue efforts could endanger the lives of the rescuers.

I have spoken to Emergency Management Ontario and the Heavy Urban Search and Rescue Team and have instructed them to determine if there is any other way possible to reach any victims without endangering our rescuers, including the use of equipment to dismantle the building from the exterior.

I believe we owe it to the families waiting for word of their loved ones to leave no stone unturned. We owe that to the people of Elliot Lake too. Ontarians expect nothing less.

– Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLsIqo5aKr8&w=620&h=465]

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/elliot-lake-mall-collapse/feed9stdElliot Lake mall collapse rescueElliot Lake Mall CollapseResidents react to the news the search had been called off.A rescue worker at the site Monday.Elliot-Lake-roofElliot Lake Roof Collapse 20120624Well wishers leave candles at a vigil as rescue workers continue attempts to secure the building before searching for any survivors at the site of the collapsed roof of the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ontario on Monday June 25, 2012.Elliot Lake rescue crews eager to start search after sounds heard in collapsed mallhttp://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/elliot-lake-rescue-crews-eager-to-start-search-after-sounds-heard-in-collapsed-mall
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ELLIOT LAKE, Ont. — They’ve heard tapping coming from under the rubble and emergency crews are hoping today to be in a position to rescue any possible survivors of the mall roof collapse in Elliot Lake, Ont.

But residents of the small northern city are expressing grave concern for the possible fate of those still unaccounted for in the wake of Saturday’s tragic events.

Late Sunday night, provincial police said there were still nine names on the unaccounted list.

Ontario Provincial Police Insp. Percy Jollymore noted that the number had been fluctuating with some names being taken off the list, and others added.

“The problem with this is there’s no precise science, we don’t know who was in the mall when it collapsed,” said Jollymore.

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THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris YoungRescue workers cut timber as attempts continue to secure the building before searching for any survivors at the site of the collapsed roof of the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ontario on Monday June 25, 2012.

Meanwhile, a rescue official said at least two people were trapped in the rubble as crews worked around the clock to stabilize the scene and make it safe enough for search and rescue teams to go in today.

Provincial police said images of the Algo Centre Mall’s partially collapsed car park roof showed a hand and a foot in the dusty debris.

The roof came down with a thunderous crash just before 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. Heather Richer owns a restaurant in the mall and was at work when it happened.

“I’m hoping everyone’s found, but I’m giving up hope on whether they’re going to find them alive,” she said Sunday.

Bianka Manning, a teacher from the local French high school V.F.J., said she feared a former high school classmate may be trapped among the wreckage.

Manning said her friend worked at the mall’s lottery kiosk, but she didn’t know if she was inside the mall when the roof caved in.

Manning and two of her students spent all of Sunday night sitting outside the mall wrapped in blankets, waiting for news.

“She might be alone in there, but she wasn’t alone all night,” said Manning, 36. “Somebody was with her — maybe not in there, but we’re out here for her.”

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cora RicherA woman checks out the damage after a roof collapsed at the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ont., Saturday, June 23, 2012. T

Manning said her friend used to come in to the school to do mock interviews for students in civics class.

Several candles were lit in front of the mall early this morning.

“We’re the uranium capital, so they say when you’re from Elliot Lake, you glow in the dark,” said Manning. “Hopefully someone’s glowing in there and they’ll find them.”

“Everybody’s blaming everybody, but really, who cares? I’m more concerned about who’s in there and how are they going to get out of there safely,” she said.

The two-storey centre, which was built in the early ’80s, underwent a structural study in May and received a passing grade, said a source with Eastwood Mall Inc., which owns the mall.

Work was being done on the roof before the collapse to prevent leaks, but no “substantial renovations” were underway, the source said.

Some irate city residents, however, insisted the building was much in need of repairs.

“The mall’s always had leaks [and] roof damage,” said Jean-Marc Hayward, who was in the mall at the time of the collapse.

The ceiling of the mall always dripped when it rained, he said.

The city — once an Ontario mining hub — is located about 160 kilometres west of Sudbury.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLsIqo5aKr8&w=620&h=465]

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris YoungWell wishers leave candles at a vigil as rescue workers continue attempts to secure the building before searching for any survivors at the site of the collapsed roof of the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ontario on Monday June 25, 2012.

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/elliot-lake-rescue-crews-eager-to-start-search-after-sounds-heard-in-collapsed-mall/feed4stdA man leans on a columns next to the collapsed roof of the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ont. on Saturday June 23, 2012.Rescue workers cut timber as attempts continue to secure the building before searching for any survivors at the site of the collapsed roof of the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ontario on Monday June 25, 2012.A woman checks out the damage after a roof collapsed at the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ont., Saturday, June 23, 2012. TWell wishers leave candles at a vigil as rescue workers continue attempts to secure the building before searching for any survivors at the site of the collapsed roof of the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ontario on Monday June 25, 2012.One suspected dead, another trapped in Elliot Lake mall roof collapsehttp://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/at-least-two-remain-trapped-more-than-24-hours-after-elliot-lake-mall-roof-collapse-officials
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THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul KazulakThe collapsed parking lot of the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake, Ont..